Concrete structures, such as retaining walls, are typically formed by defining cavities corresponding to the concrete structures, pouring concrete in liquid form into the cavities, allowing the concrete to solidify, and after formation, dismantling the form and its supporting structures. Each cavity defining form typically involves inner and outer form walls, hereinafter simply inner and outer forms, formed using e.g. sheets of plywood. The inner and outer forms are typically supported by a number of brace and kicker combinations, with the braces respectively supporting the inner and outer forms, and the kickers correspondingly supporting the braces. For certain taller concrete structures employing multiple form panels to form either the inner or outer form, ties may be used to tie the inner and outer forms together to resist the pressure of the concrete.
Wood stakes cut into appropriate lengths are typically used for braces and kickers. The braces are typically secured to the ground and the inner/outer forms are nailed to the braces; likewise, the kickers are driven into the ground or anchored to the ground and nailed to support the braces. A large number of brace and kicker combinations are often required to provide the necessary strength to sustain the form and keep the liquid concrete in place, while the concrete solidifies over time. Wire, bolts, or special purpose hardware is typically used for ties. After the concrete has solidified and the structures have formed, the wooden brace and kicker combinations, along with the ties, are removed, and the forms are dismantled.
Typically, portions of the wood braces are stuck in the concrete, and have to be broken apart before the protruding portions can be removed. The stuck portions are left in the concrete. The process is labor intensive. Further, the approach is wasteful in terms of resource consumption, as the majority of the wood products becomes unusable and turns into land waste.